Olivia Gadecki and John Peers emerge victorious from the first all-Australian mixed doubles final at the Australian Open in 58 years.
24 January 2025 | Tennis Australia
Olivia Gadecki and John Peers are leaving Melbourne Park as Australian Open 2025 mixed doubles champions.
The Australian wildcard duo earned a comeback 3-6 6-4 [10-6] win over compatriots Kimberly Birrell and John-Patrick Smith and converted their first championship point courtesy of a Gadecki smash.
They wrapped up victory in one hour an 24 hour minutes in front of thrilled fans at Rod Laver Arena on Friday.
Gadecki, 22 and Peers, 36, won 79 per cent of first serve points and struck 25 winners en route to becoming the first all-Australian mixed doubles AO champions since 2013, when Matt Ebden and Jarmila Gajdosova lifted the crown.
They’re also just the fourth all-Australian pairing to achieve the feat in the Open era, following in the footsteps of Ebden and Gajdosova, Scott Draper and Samantha Stosur in 2005, and Mark Woodforde and Nicole Provis in 1992.
By triumphing in the first all-Aussie final in the Open-era history of the event, and first since the 1967 Australian Open, it means that for the 14th straight edition of the tournament, a local name has been inscribed on at least one AO trophy.
Gadecki and Peers were presented the trophy by Grand Slam champions Lesley Bowrey and Bill Bowrey, and the victory marks a second AO title for Peers, who won the men’s doubles title with Henri Kontinen in 2017.
“Thank you so much for playing with me and letting me ride the wave,” Gadecki told Peers, while crediting Birrell and Smith for their efforts. “I’m looking forward to next year.”
“It was so much fun this week, hopefully we’ll get another opportunity to do it again, it was great sharing the court with you and you’re a class act so keep going, this is just the start for you,” responded Peers, a Paris 2024 Olympic Games men’s doubles gold medallist alongside Ebden.
He also thanked his parents including his mother, Elizabeth Little, who reached the AO women’s doubles semifinals in 1979.
“To win at home tops everything to me,” added Peers, reflecting on how sweet it is to capture victory in front of friends and family. “Playing at home can sometimes add more pressure, but it can also be a lot more fun.”
The talented right-hander said the fact that two wildcard pairs “puts an exclamation mark on how well Australia tennis is going” and cited the depth of talent across the nation, led by Alex de Minaur. “It’s great to see so much success, and that’s what we’re building towards,” he said.
Gadecki, who was pleased to have played her best tennis in the match’s final minutes, revealed that Peers had asked her to play mixed after the Olympics and that she didn’t give him an affirmative answer immediately.
“I said I would get back to him the first time around unfortunately but later on I was, like, yeah, for sure, I would love to play with you,” she beamed. “I’m so glad I said yes now.”
“She had made semifinals here before, so we had to step up and make sure we went a couple better,” added Peers, referring to Gadecki’s run to the last four with Marc Polmans at AO 2024.
Peers said if the duo can lift their doubles rankings to guarantee entry into mixed doubles draws at the year’s next three majors, the decision would be a “no brainer.”
“If not, we just have to hang on until the next Aussie Open, if she says yes to me,” he quipped.
“I’ll get back to you,” laughed Gadecki.
“Sorry we couldn’t get it done for your birthday,” Birrell said to a smiling Smith, who celebrated his 36th birthday on Friday. The 26-year-old congratulated Gadecki and Peers, describing the duo as “unreal people on and off court.”
Smith gave a shout-out to friends from the University of Tennessee, where he competed. “I know a lot of them lost their jobs this week extending the trip day after day, I appreciate you guys staying,” he grinned.
